Harry Potter and the Mischief of Peeves
by BlindJedi
Summary: AU. POA alternate ending. How much mischief can a singing poltergeist cause?
1. A Happy Poltergeist

Harry Potter and  
  
The Mischief of Peeves  
  
by  
  
BlindJedi  
  
A.N. I have not seen this type of story written before. I have always been shocked, because the opportunity seems to be just too good. My other story, Harry Potter and the Force From Long Ago, is not abandoned, I promise, even though many readers may think it seems that way. In fact, I currently have most of Chapter 10 written already.  
  
___ ___ ___ ___  
  
One  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
The creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle was unique enough without the wings that sprouted from its shoulders and made it able to fly. Such an enormous creature must, by necessity, have very powerful wings indeed if it hoped to travel for long distances, sometimes with passengers. And such was, indeed, the case.  
  
On a warm summer night in early June, 1994, one such creature, known to witches and wizards throughout the world as hippogriffs, took off from the roof of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in northern Scotland, one of the most prominent schools of its type in the world. And this particular hippogriff, Buckbeak by name, carried with him a passenger. He was rail thin with haunted black eyes and greasy unwashed black hair. It was with misgivings, yet great relief, that he was able to get the hippogriff in the air with a slight clucking noise and a gentle tug on the reins that had been fashioned and looped around Buckbeak's neck.  
  
As the odd pair streaked away from the school, rocking back and forth slightly as the hippogriff's mighty wings fought to keep him aloft, Sirius Black turned and gave one last wave to the two young children growing rapidly smaller behind him. With a prayer to keep the pair of youngsters safe, Black faced forward again and concentrated on directing his unruly mount toward safety, both for himself and the hippogriff.  
  
___ ___ ___ ___  
  
"Harry," the girl with the bushy brown hair, Hermione Granger, said to her companion, the tension fairly radiating from her, "we have ten minutes to get back in to the ward before Dumbledore locks us in again. We have to hurry."  
  
Harry didn't argue. So far, the attempt to rescue Sirius and Buckbeak, while intense, had gone fairly well. Both were now on their way, winging rapidly to freedom and hopefully a better life. For the first time, Harry began to hope that they might actually be successful in pulling this mad scheme off without any more close calls. Time-Turners, he thought wryly to himself, had their uses after all.  
  
The two teens made their way rapidly down from the roof of the North Tower, hands entwined in a comforting gesture that would become almost second nature to them throughout the years of their friendship. Down another flight they raced, then along a hall, and down another winding flight of stairs. Hermione felt her heart nearly stop as they heard the voices of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and their least favorite teacher, Professor Severus Snape, heading their way, discussing the events that had led to Black's capture and of the dementor that Macnair was bringing to perform the Kiss on the prisoner. Luckily, they had just enough time to duck in to a side corridor just before the two men swept around the corner and headed leisurely in their direction.  
  
Harry felt his nose give a twinge as they passed, and for one horrifying moment, he thought he would give the whole game away with a loud sneeze. Fortunately, he was able to contain it, and seconds later, the two men turned and headed up the staircase that he and Hermione had come down seconds before.  
  
As soon as the two men were out of sight again, they resumed their desperate run toward the safety of the hospital wing.  
  
"Three ,,, minutes ,,, left," Hermione panted as she checked her watch.  
  
They had reached the top stair of the last flight that they would have to descend when it happened.  
  
It was Peeves the Poltergeist.  
  
Of course, it would have to be Peeves.  
  
The annoying poltergeist had nearly thwarted them before as they raced to save the Sorcerer's Stone. That had nearly ended in disaster. This time, however, it was much worse.  
  
He did not catch them and sound the alarm. However, as they prepared to head down the flight of stairs and thus to the hospital wing, the annoying little man popped out of a nearby wall so suddenly that Harry had to clap his hand over Hermione's mouth as she drew in breath to scream.  
  
There was no time to spare. Without thought, Harry grabbed his companion and dragged her in to the nearest doorway he could find, which happened to be a tiny broom closet. There, they were forced to wait with bated breath for Peeves to move on again.  
  
However, the little man had no intention of moving on.  
  
From their vantage point, they could see him take up position at the head of the stairs and begin bouncing around in midair. Harry cringed, sensing rather than seeing Hermione do the same thing next to him. They both knew what this meant. It meant Peeves was gathering himself for a song, and he would not be moving on until either forced by a teacher or the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin house ghost. This time, he was not interrupted, and Harry and Hermione were treated to a song which explained the poltergeist's excellent mood after the first line.  
  
Sirius Black got caught oy hoy,  
  
For trying to do in the Potty boy!  
  
What happens next Peevsie can not miss,  
  
For all good deeds deserve a Kiss.  
  
They're gonna suck that soul right outta yer head,  
  
Don't bother to hee and haw.  
  
They're gonna suck that soul right outta yer head,  
  
Wonder if they'll use a straw.  
  
Harry, who knew exactly what the despicable little man meant, felt his supper trying to rise back up, and managed somehow to keep his stomach in check.  
  
The brown-haired wench and the Weasel King,  
  
Do you think they'll stand with Peeves and sing.  
  
So join me, Hogwarts, young and old,  
  
And send Black off with heart and soul.  
  
They're gonna suck that soul right outta yer head,  
  
Is it black or blue or green?  
  
They're gonna suck that soul right outta yer head,  
  
Is it tough or lean?  
  
Harry desperately tried to remember the spell that Professor Lupin had used on Peeves the first day of Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, try as he might, Peeves's song continue to rattle around in his head as the hideous being continued to sing.  
  
As Peeves began the fifth verse of the Sirius Song, as Harry would later come to think of it, Harry had reached his breaking point. Crossing his fingers, Harry adopted a deep, mournful voice and uttered four words.  
  
"Peeves, it is time!"  
  
The singing stopped at once. Peeves did not even stick around to acknowledge that he had heard. In fact, the displacement of air as Peeves shot through the ceiling at unimaginable speed sounded eerily like a fart.  
  
"Finally," Harry muttered through clenched teeth. "Let's go, Hermione."  
  
He turned to Hermione, whose face was slack and pale, her lip trembling slightly. In a voice so low he could hardly understand, Hermione muttered in a horrified choked voice, "We're too late, Harry. Dumbledore has already locked the door. We're shut out." 


	2. Sneaking and Shrinking

___ ___ ___  
  
Two  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
Time seemed to stop as Harry felt his heart seize up in his chest. With no way of getting back to the hospital wing, they might as well just hand themselves in to the Ministry. And, as quickly as that thought arose in his jumbled mind, the answer came. They would not be handing themselves in to anyone, let alone the bloody Ministry of Magic. If Fudge had listened to them even just the slightest earlier in the evening, Sirius might well be free now and making arrangements for he, Harry, to come and live with him. Instead, in helping an innocent man to escape, they had inadvertently gotten themselves in to considerably more trouble, unless---  
  
No sooner had the desperate plan begun to form in his mind than his paralysis broke.  
  
"Hermione," he spoke in an urgent whisper. "We have to go, now!"  
  
Yet Hermione did not respond. Harry glanced at her quickly and in the dim light that was provided by the distant candles in each direction, he caught sight of her pale, terrified face.  
  
"Hermione," he called again, grasping her shoulders and shaking her roughly once. "Come on. It's not safe for us to stay here."  
  
"But where," she spoke in a high breathy voice that was very unlike her normal prim tones.  
  
Not knowing what else to do, Harry quickly pulled his friend in to a hug, patting her awkwardly on the back.  
  
"Come on, Hermione, it will be all right, I promise. But only if we go, now."  
  
And finally, she began to move.  
  
"Okay, we obviously can't go back to the hospital ward. Dumbledore might believe we were up to no mischief, but Snape and Fudge will have us bound and on our way to the Ministry before we can say "Padfoot"," Harry whispered urgently as he pulled Hermione along.  
  
"Hermione, I'm sorry, but we are going to have to leave Hogwarts for a while. I don't know where we'll go, yet, but it must be done. Maybe Dumbledore can work something out for us, but for now, we have to go."  
  
It was a credit to the shock she was in that Hermione did not at once begin protesting this mad scheme. Instead, she only followed Harry more closely, clutching his arm for support as well as reassurance.  
  
In their desperation, neither remembered the curious hour-glass shape of the Time-Turner that dangled from the chain around Hermione's neck. And, not knowing what trials lay ahead, they began to run.  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
The Defense Against the Dark Arts office was unlocked, Harry was grateful to discover. He doubted if the basic Unlocking Charm would be enough to handle any complicated locks that Professor Lupin might have put on his door. Pushing it open cautiously, he felt a heavy load slide partially off his shoulders as he saw what he'd come for lying on the professor's desk just as described by both Snape and Lupin. It was only a matter of seconds to stride across the small office and reclaim the Marauder's Map which was still active and showing the school and all of its inhabitants and secret passages. Harry peered closely at the map, feeling his chest tighten as he realized that the dots labeled "Cornelius Fudge", "Severus Snape", and "Albus Dumbledore" were all clustered together in the hospital wing. That would mean that they would realize something was wrong, and it would only be a matter of time before a search of the school was started.  
  
Quickly, he returned to the doorway and grasped Hermione's sweaty hand again as he began to pull her along after him.  
  
"Come on, Hermione, it is time to prove we are Gryffindors."  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
"POTTER IS BEHIND THIS WHOLE MESS," Snape Howled as he lurched drunkenly through the swinging doors and in to the hospital wing, closely followed by a slightly less irate Cornelius Fudge. "HE HELPED BLACK ESCAPE! HE AND GRANGER SHOULD BOTH B---"  
  
He stopped short, a snarl still curling his lip, staring at the beds in the ward. Only one was still occupied. Ron Weasley's vivid red hair lay motionless against the pillow of his bed, and he was snoring lightly. Snape doubted if the other boy would be asleep for much longer.  
  
"Look, Minister, they are both gone," Snape spoke again, but this time in a deadly whisper. "They have helped him escape, and who knows what else he has convinced them to do while they are Confunded."  
  
"Use your head, Snape," Fudge spoke up for the first time, puffing out his chest with the important air of one who is burdened with having to make tough decisions, for was he not Minister of Magic? "It is obvious what happened to them. Black broke out of his prison room, broke in the hospital ward, and snatched Potter and the girl. Weasley was left here as he was still out of it from whatever curse Black hit him with earlier."  
  
"Perhaps we should discuss this with Madam Pomfrey," a quiet voice said from behind them. They had forgotten that Albus Dumbledore was with them.  
  
"Black probably Confunded her, too," Snape spat again, voice rising once more to dangerous tones.  
  
"What is going on in here, are you trying to wake the dead," the affore-mentioned lady asked, stepping from her office. "Am I allowed to treat my patients now?"  
  
"It appears you only have one patient left," Snape said in a highly sarcastic tone.  
  
"Impossible," Pomfrey snapped irritably, walking further in to the room. "No one has left this ward since the had me---"  
  
Her tirade ceased as quickly as it began, her mouth opening in a surprised "oh" of shock.  
  
"Exactly, Madam Pomfrey," Fudge spoke again, absently readjusting his ridiculous bowler hat atop his pudgy head. "It is obvious that Black has somehow used dark magic to break in here and kidnap the kids."  
  
Snape was glaring at Fudge as he continued to ramble on; Fudge stared back at Snape as though looking for answers; Madam Pomfrey was staring in puzzlement and growing alarm between the two. Thus, no one noticed that the usual twinkle in the headmaster's eyes had dimmed and been replaced by a look of growing worry.  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
As was the usual case with the end-of-year exams out of the way, the Gryffindor common room was a place of light and warmth, punctured frequently by laughter and the sounds of small explosions as games of Exploding Snap were played, and sounds of swearing as chess pieces were lost in the intense matches that were constantly going on. In another corner of the common room, Fred and George Weasley were huddled with their friend, Lee Jordan, constantly seeking new pranks and other forms of torture that they could inflict on the Slytherins. It was in to this comfortable atmosphere that Harry and Hermione emerged as the Fat Lady opened to allow them entrance after Harry had given the password. Luckily, no one took notice of the nervousness that seemed to permeate the air around the two of them.  
  
Spotting Fred and George, he moved quickly in their direction, pulling a still shocked Hermione behind him.  
  
"Harry, young sir, how may we help you this evening," Fred greeted him.  
  
"What mischief is our young friend in to tonight," George wanted to know.  
  
"And how," Fred went on.  
  
"May we assist you in your endeavors," George finished importantly.  
  
"Hey guys," Harry said in as normal a voice as he could muster. "I am planning a trick on Malfoy and some of his other Slytherin buddies, and need to know how to perform a Shrinking Charm in order to pull it off?"  
  
"That's easy," Lee Jordan told him. "Point your wand at what needs shrinking and say "Shrinkulus" followed by the name of whatever you want to shrink."  
  
"Excellent," Harry said, forcing a sly grin on to his face. "The goons won't know what hit them."  
  
"Make us proud, little mischief monster," Fred commanded, dropping to one knee and kissing Harry's hand with a resounding smack.  
  
"Make the miserable snakes squirm," George added, kissing Harry's other hand in mock reverence.  
  
"Okay, okay," Harry said, laughing honestly this time.  
  
He turned away, leading Hermione with him.  
  
"Did you hear them," he muttered next to her ear.  
  
"Yes," she said in a small voice, beginning to slowly come back to herself.  
  
"Go upstairs as naturally as you can, put whatever you need in your trunk, and come back down quickly," he continued. "I don't know how long we have."  
  
Mutely, she nodded, then headed upstairs to do just that.  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
In the hospital wing, the situation was growing more tense by the minute. No one had spoken since Fudge's last outburst, and no one seemed to have any idea how to proceed. Finally, it was Dumbledore, always calm and reasonable, who took charge of the situation.  
  
"Right, then, Cornelius," he said as if coming out of a deep trance. "I am going to have the faculty search the castle for Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger. I suggest you alert the Ministry and have them begin a search as well. You also need to alert them of Sirius Black's escape"  
  
"Yes, Dumbledore, you are right as usual," Fudge said, glaring at the others in the room, as if somehow what had happened was their fault. Then, with a last scathing look at Dumbledore, he bustled from the room.  
  
Sighing deeply, Dumbledore looked at the Potions master.  
  
"Severus, I do not believe that Sirius Black has kidnapped Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger. I want you to get Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick to start a search of the school, beginning with the common rooms of the students. I will get Mr. Filch and the ghosts to assist me with searching the corridors and shall alert Madam Pince to search the library. It is unfortunate that Remus is in no condition to help us tonight."  
  
"Of course, Remus, the map," Snape interrupted. "The map in Remus's office. That's how I knew where he went this evening. It shows the whole castle and everyone in it. I shall fetch it at once, after I alert the other professors."  
  
Whirling around with his black robes billowing behind him, Snape's last thought as he swept from the hospital wing was that Ron Weasley was one deep sleeper.  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
To Harry, it seemed to take forever to pack up all of his clothes and robes in his trunk. Finally, he swept one more critical eye over the contents of his trunk, at last satisfied that everything was in order. Making sure that the key was tucked securely in his pocket, he closed the trunk, and, pointing his wand at it and praying that this would work, he said firmly "Shrinkulus trunk."  
  
At once, the trunk began to shrink, not stopping until it was the size of a wallet. Taking a deep breath, Harry picked it up and was pleased to find that it was no heavier than a sheet of paper. He tucked it carefully in to another pocket of his robes, then, with a last fleeting look, seized his Firebolt and headed back down to the common room.  
  
He sighed with relief as he noticed Hermione coming down the stairs that led to the girls' dormitory at the same time.  
  
"All ready," he asked her in a hushed voice.  
  
"We ... We aren't flying," she asked, casting a nervous glance at the broom in Harry's hand.  
  
"Yes. It's the only way."  
  
"Harry, you know how much I hate flying," Hermione said in a high, slightly panicky voice.  
  
"Hermione, do you trust me?"  
  
For a moment, only a moment, deep green clashed with chocolate brown as they gazed at each other. And although Harry had no experience with girls at his age, he felt something inside him give a pleasant jolt. Then, lips pressed tightly together, she nodded.  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
All it took was one glance around Lupin's office for Snape to realize the map was gone.  
  
"Potter," he breathed in a deadly whisper. "When I find you, brat, suspension will be the least of your worries if you've done what I think you have."  
  
With these dark mutterings, Snape sped away to locate the headmaster with his report and suspicions, not knowing that Dumbledore had already formed his own opinions.  
  
___ ___ ___  
  
Harry and Hermione had reached the window with surprising ease. None of the other students gave them more than a curious glance as they moved, assuming that Harry was going to give one of his best friends a ride on the Firebolt. And that, Harry thought ironically, was exactly what he planned to do.  
  
The ironic smile on his face froze as the portrait of the Fat Lady opened and someone came in to the common room. He didn't have to wonder for long who it was.  
  
"Potter!" Professor McGonagall's screech cut through the chatter and laughter in the common room like a knife. "Potter! Granger! What are you doing?" 


	3. Bananas and Broomsticks

__________  
  
Three  
  
__________  
  
"Get on," Harry hissed at Hermione as she stood rooted to the spot, staring in undisguised terror at the professor bearing down on them.  
  
Still, she did not move.  
  
"Come on, Hermione," he roared at her, abandoning all pretense at subtlety as the whole common room had gone deathly quiet, all students staring in wide-eyed amazement at the drama unfolding in front of them.  
  
However, he was wrong in thinking that shouting at Hermione would do any good. It had snapped her back to the present, to be sure, but it had also drawn Professor McGonagall's attention to the Firebolt clutched tightly in Harry's hands. Her eyes narrowed as she crossed the last distance to the students.  
  
"I don't think so, Potter," she said, the glare on her face intensifying as she realized his intentions. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, although he had no idea what he would or could say to make things any better, she raised her wand, flicked it, and Harry was horror struck to see that instead of clutching his beloved broom, he was now holding a ripe yellow banana. It was only when he noticed the twigs sticking out from the end of the fruit that he realized just how agitated the Transfiguration professor must be.  
  
"You both have a lot of explaining to do, Potter. Now let's go!"  
  
With that pronouncement, she turned on her heell and began marching back the way that she had just come, clearly expecting the two Gryffindors to follow her.  
  
Sudden panic gripped Harry. McGonagall was probably taking them to the headmaster's office, and while Harry would normally have been pleased to see Dumbledore, the thought of the others that would surely be in the old man's office made him recoil in abject terror. Fudge did not worry him much. The fat little man seemed to be all bluster and no action, if the interaction Harry had been forced to have with the man was any indication. However, Harry knew with a cold certainty that Snape would be at this little meeting as well. He felt quite certain that nothing he could say would convince the Potions master that he had nothing to do with the escape of one Sirius Black and one condemned hippogriff. Could Snape make he, Harry, confess? Harry thought the answer to this was probably a big "you bet"!  
  
And if Snape did manage to worm the truth out of them, what next? Harry thought the idea of expulsion or suspension would look very inviting indeed. Pictures of a dark, dank prison called Azkaban flooded Harry's mind; Azkaban Prison, holding all manner of insane souls and swarming with dementors just waiting to suck the happiness out of new victims. Perhaps he and Hermione would be allowed to share Sirius's old cell!  
  
But why bother with Azkaban? After all, there were still dementors at Hogwarts. Would their actions warrant the Dementor's Kiss? He didn't know the answer to that, but decided he was better off not finding out.  
  
Professor McGonagall was back at the entrance to the common room. Turning around, she was clearly quite annoyed that the two were not right behind her.  
  
"Potter, Granger, if the two of you are not over here at the entrance to your common room in five seconds, I will personally expel you for your part in whatever bazaar events have occurred here tonight, events of which, I feel quite certain, you both possess a great deal of knowledge about!"  
  
That settled it.  
  
Feeling the numbing terror threatening to overtake him again, Harry seemed to feel the gathering of magic around himself. For a moment longer, the hushed silence continued to dominate the Gryffindor common room with all eyes focused on the irate professor and the guilty-looking students.  
  
Then, all hell broke loose!  
  
Several girls, including Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Ginny Weasley, shrieked as the glass in the window in front of Harry and Hermione exploded outward. The mighty crash that followed managed to drown out the girls' voices, but not Professor McGonagall's screech of fury as, with a pop, the twiggy banana in Harry's hands turned back in to the racing broom. By the time that the professor had recovered from her shock and rushed toward the window, Harry had already seized Hermione's nerveless hands, forced them around his waist, and, mounting the Firebolt, kicked off with a hard push, soaring through the open window in to the starry night, Hermione Granger clinging on behind and shrieking with terror as they went yet somehow retaining enough presence of mind to duck to avoid being brained by the window's frame.  
  
By the time that Professor McGonagall had reached the window, the crazily bobbing broomstick and its fugitives were just a blur in the distance heading for the Forbidden Forest.  
  
Sadness and despair coursed through the professor as she continued to stand there in shock at what had just happened. She could not believe that Potter had somehow been able to blast the window open, and more astonished to watch as he restored the Firebolt to its normal condition before grabbing Miss Granger and soaring away from the school. She did not know all of the events that had occurred that night, but she did know enough that both students would now be hunted by the Ministry of Magic, despite all that Albus could do to convince the Minister otherwise.  
  
It was nearly five minutes before the uproar of the students brought her back to herself and got her moving again. She strode rapidly out of the common room, stopping only long enough to give Fred and George Weasley a week's worth of detention for dancing and making flying gestures while giving each other high-fives. Even detention could not dampen their enthusiasm over what had just happened.  
  
__________  
  
Minerva McGonagall was not wrong. To say that things were heated in the headmaster's office would be the same as saying that Snape worshipped Gryffindors.  
  
It did not take McGonagall long to finish her story. A few eyebrows raised when she told them how Harry had wandlessly restored the Firebolt from its banana-like appearance. The calm in the office lasted for approximately two seconds after her voice fell silent.  
  
"Preposterous!" It was Fudge who roared this statement, face contorted in rage.  
  
"And I thought his father was out of control," was Snape's sneering contribution.  
  
"That must have been a stronger Confundus Charm than you thought, Severus," squeaked little Professor Flitwick. "In fact, it almost sounds like he has put them under the Imperius Curse."  
  
"Yes, yes, that must be it," Fudge agreed quickly, wiping sweat from his forehead in quick, jerky swipes. "I'll alert the Aurors at once. We should have them in no time. And if Black is with them, people will see just how great the Minister really is," he concluded, wringing his hands with glee.  
  
He rose to his feet, a manic gleam in his eye. He had nearly reached the door when the voice of Professor Dumbledore stopped him.  
  
"Minister, I will deal with this. They are students at Hogwar---"  
  
"They are clearly not at Hogwarts any more, Dumbledore," Fudge interrupted angrily, the slight tinge of respect he usually reserved for the headmaster absent in his voice. "This is clearly now a manner for the Ministry and its Aurors to deal with. Minerva, if you could please come with me so that we may discuss any known options of where Black may have taken them. Snape, go alert Filch as to what has happened and have him keep a look out for the kids. Flitwick, please alert Hagrid and the other professors and have them conduct a thorough search of the grounds for any clues."  
  
For the first time, as he stopped to draw breath, he realized one person was missing who should have been in the office.  
  
"Dumbledore, where is your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this evening?"  
  
"Unfortunately, Remus Lupin had to leave us for a night and should be back in the morning," the old man replied, cutting off Snape who had opened his mouth to respond.  
  
"Fine, fine," Fudge snapped impatiently. "Snape, I want you to question Mr. Lupin when he returns."  
  
Snape nodded, lips pressed so tightly together that his mouth seemed to have disappeared.  
  
With that, Fudge left the headmaster's office to contact the Ministry followed reluctantly by Professor McGonagall, leaving behind a group whose emotions ranged from worry to anger to worry.  
  
"Headmaster, your orders," Snape spoke first.  
  
"For now, we can only do as the Minister has asked," Dumbledore said, the twinkle usually present in his eyes gone completely.  
  
The other two looked at each other, frowned, nodded, and left to do as they had been instructed.  
  
The door closed behind them, leaving behind one worried headmaster who was left with nothing to do but remain seated, staring moodily in to the fire that was always burning in his office. Albus Dumbledore was not used to feeling helpless, but helpless was just what he felt at the moment.  
  
__________  
  
Hermione Granger was sure she was going to die. Even as a child, she had hated flying with a passion that nearly matched her love of books. At first, it had been airplanes. Then there had been the one time she had gone to an amusement park and dared a roller coaster. Those had been bad enough.  
  
Her first time on a broomstick had scared her more than she thought possible, and she had vowed that her first time would also b her last. Oddly enough, she had forgotten just how horrible brooms were after she had ridden on Buckbeak with Harry to save Sirius just over an hour ago.  
  
Yet here she was on a broom again, and this time she wasn't in control of it. She found herself wishing fervently to be atop the hippogriff now, rocking back and forth side to side and being propelled by the mighty wings.  
  
And she thought she had gone fast before?  
  
The brooms that the school maintained were old with many bent twigs. Many of them took more than a minute before they could finally be coaxed up in to the would-be rider's hands. When she had flown back in her first year, it had been at a speed of somewhere in the neighborhood of ten kilometers an hour. She had congratulated herself at managing this feat.  
  
And she had been in control.  
  
She had no control this time. All she could do was clasp tightly on to the somewhat skinny boy in front of her and pray that he didn't throw her off. Not only that, she was also contending with speeds of nearly a hundred kilometers per hour, and that was just seconds after they had launched themselves from the window of Gryffindor Tower.  
  
So it was not surprising that her scream trailed after the pair as they rocketed away from the school.  
  
Harry bent forward as much as he dared with the extra passenger on the Firebolt, determined to get as much speed as he possibly could from the faithful broom. In seconds, the lights of Hogwarts were fading from view behind them as they zoomed above the darkened grounds with only the light of the full moon to guide them. Still, it was enough. Harry was able to see where they were going, and after his earlier experience with the dementors, he kept his senses on full alert to avoid them. Thus it was that a silvery object on the ground caught his eye as they neared the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.  
  
"Hold on, Hermione," he called over the rushing wind, although such a warning was unnecessary. He wondered vaguely if one or two of his ribs might not be broken by the death grip the girl had on him. Wincing slightly, he dove.  
  
Hermione screamed again.  
  
"Harry, what are you d-d-doing?"  
  
"Open your eyes and you'll see, Hermione," he said, struggling and hopefully succeeding to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "I've got you. You should know by now I'd never let you fall."  
  
Something in his voice seemed to soothe her a little. Still trembling violently, she forced her eyes to open a crack and stare down at the rapidly approaching ground. It only took her a second to see what Harry was after. She was only amazed that he had been able to see it at all. Then, she remembered herself. Of course Harry would see it. Did he not chase the Golden Snitch during Quidditch matches and catch it more often than not, and the object now drawing closer by the second was a hundred times larger than the Snitch.  
  
So lost was she in her admiration of the boy's flying skills, that they were zooming upward again before she even realized that Harry had reached out and grabbed the Invisibility Cloak. Professor Lupin had put it in to his cloak pocket before they left the Shrieking Shack, and Hermione assumed that Lupin must have left the rest of his clothes behind when he transformed, and had to bite down a giggle at the thought of a wolf turning back in to a naked man under the shocked gazes of the villagers of Hogsmeade.  
  
Harry, meanwhile, had managed to tuck the cloak in to the pocket already containing his school trunk. Now, leveling off near the treetops of the forest, he pondered his next big problem. He knew that they were going to be on the run for quite a while. He would have to worry about that in the morning. Right now, he needed to find them a place to stay for the night. This, however, was easier said than done.  
  
They were both shivering from the cool night air and Harry's shoulders and Hermione's arms were beginning to ache with fatigue before he finally saw what he was looking for.  
  
The tree, he judged, was almost directly in the center of the Forbidden Forest and seemed to tower above its neighbors by a good twenty feet. The girth of the tree was also, even at its top, still some fifteen feet round. Not only that, its topmost branches seemed to be woven so thick and tight that they formed a natural platform. And it was here that the two landed.  
  
It was here, shivering from the coolness in the air and the fear of the unknown, that two young children clung to each other as the night wore on. It was here that the first faint trails of dawn found them, having just closed their eyes and slipped in to an uneasy sleep, the girl's head of bushy brown hair pillowed on the boy's narrow chest, one paternal arm thrown around her to pull her close and attempt to keep her warm.  
  
And as a wolf howled some distance below them, the boy, in spite of all his worries and cares, smiled contently.  
  
___ ___ ___ ___  
  
A.N.: Just one brief note. I don't know what happens to a werewolf's clothes when he changes. I therefore took the liberty of assuming that his changing body tore the clothing from the body of the wolf, and thus it would be possible to find the Invisibility Cloak. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
  
Cheers. 


	4. Werewolves Who Climb Trees

A.n Sorry for the long delay. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like the story concept. Oh, and Chapter 11 is nearly done on the other story I'm writing. I've got a new computer which is the main reason for the loooooooong delay.  
  
Four  
  
Remus J. Lupin, first year professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, swore quietly as he extracted himself from the nest of brambles where he had come to rest after his wild run through the Forbidden Forest the evening before. For several moments, all he could do was stand, bent at the waist, and let the fits of nausea that always accompanied the return to his human self wear off. They seemed to be worse than they had been in a long time. In fact, the last time he had experienced this level of nausea was before he began taking the Wolfsbane Potion shortly before joining the staff of Hogwarts.  
  
Eventually, he was able to clear his head enough to conjure a very thin robe to hide his nakedness. It would have been very simple with his wand, but for some reason, he didn't seem to have it on him. Thus, the robe he was able to wandlessly conjure was very thin and even more shabby-looking than his usual robes, and the effort required for this act brought on another bout of nausea.  
  
Indeed, so bad were his bouts of dizziness that it took him several moments to realize exactly why he felt so terrible.  
  
He had not taken his Potion the night before.  
  
This shocking realization quickly led to several more. Pettigrew still alive? Sirius Black really innocent? Severus Snape bursting in to the Shrieking Shack brandishing his wand in glee, so convinced he had finally achieved some self-glory for bringing in the criminal, Sirius Black! Snape being disarmed by the three students! And then, his change.  
  
He swore loudly!  
  
He knew that Pettigrew, weak and cowardly as he was, would be more than a match for the students. Black, he knew, would have been protecting them from he, Remus. Harry and Hermione were in a bad position behind Pettigrew and would be hesitant to use their wands on him in fear of hitting their friend. And Ron, though Remus would never admit it out loud, did not have the common sense to act without given some direct orders of what to do. It had not helped matters that the boy had been traipsing around on a broken leg, and the fact that he had been able to walk as well as he had done spoke volumes for his determination to see Pettigrew brought to justice and Sirius freed.  
  
So Pettigrew, or Wormtail as Remus would forevermore think of him, would have been able to transform during all the confusion and escape. And without Wormtail, what proof could be presented to the Ministry or to Dumbledore himself that could exonerate Black?  
  
And the dementors were at Hogwarts.  
  
And so was Fudge.  
  
Throwing aside his weariness with a great effort, Lupin broke in to a run, only vaguely aware of his position with regard to the school. He had managed to run most of the way through the Forbidden Forest on his rampage and knew that it would take him a good hour to reach the outskirts that fronted on Hogwarts.  
  
He had forced his way along for nearly half the distance when a low "psst" caught his ear. Looking around and extending his keen werewolf senses failed to locate anyone else in the near vicinity.  
  
"Professor Lupin," a hoarse voice called, and Lupin was amazed to realize the voice came from up above him. Jerking his head hastily in that direction, he felt his jaw drop nearly to his chest as he looked in to a familiar pair of bright green eyes.  
  
"H-H-Harry?"  
  
He knew it sounded foolish, but that seemed to be the only word that would force its way through his somewhat parched lips.  
  
"Professor, come up here, please," the boy called out to him.  
  
Numbly, hardly realizing what he was doing, the professor found himself moving to the tree and beginning to climb through the twisted branches of the great tree in which the boy had hidden himself. Questions flowed through his mind faster than he could organize them, but he knew he'd receive no answers until he reached the top of the tree. Finally, after numerous scratches and several cuts, his head broke through the last layer of branches and emerged in to hazy sunlight. Dawn was rapidly giving way to the stronger light of true morning.  
  
It was then that he received his second shock.  
  
Harry was not alone. Hermione Granger sat next to him, hugging her knees and looking like she would rather be any where else. The fact that the two were in the same clothes as the night before made Lupin very nervous. After all, if the two kids hadn't even taken time to change clothes and were hiding in a tree in the middle of one of the most dangerous forests in Europe, things must be very bad indeed.  
  
Not knowing that he had anything to say, Lupin was surprised to hear himself asking a question.  
  
"Sirius! Is he ---?"  
  
He found he couldn't finish the sentence and merely made a kissing motion.  
  
A slight smile spread over Harry's face and Hermione looked up with a slight lightening around her somewhat bloodshot eyes.  
  
"No, Professor Lupin," she said softly. "And that is the reason, well part of the reason, why we are here and are now fugitives from the wizarding world."  
  
It was a good thing that Harry had good reflexes from his time as a Seeker. Lupin was so shocked by the last statement that if Harry hadn't darted a hand out to clutch at his robes, the werewolf would have gone back down to the ground in a much more painful fashion.  
  
Once Lupin had slightly recovered from his shock, Harry and Hermione, without prompting, began the tale. They told about following Sirius as he had gone after Wormtail once he, Lupin, was safely driven off in to the forest. They told about the narrow escape from the dementors and being saved by a magnificently glowing very powerful Patronus.  
  
Lupin listened raptly as they told of waking in the hospital wing and hearing Snape and Fudge discuss the former's likelihood of gaining an Order of Merlin for his actions in capturing Black. That remark earned a slight chuckle from the professor.  
  
They told how Sirius had been scheduled to receive the Dementor's Kiss once Macnair the executioner returned from fetching them. Remus was outraged to hear the casual way that Fudge dismissed the claims that Sirius had, indeed, been innocent of the crimes for which he was charged.  
  
"He never even had a trial," Remus muttered softly. The other two looked at him in horror.  
  
"Well, continue," he finally said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.  
  
Remus was aghast as Hermione related how they had used the Time-Turner to go back to be able to rescue Sirius and Buckbeak the hippogriff.  
  
He offered up a much more genuine smile as Harry told that it had been he who summoned the Patronus that saved the helpless victims on the opposite shore of the lake.  
  
"So you met Prongs, eh," he asked fondly, reaching over and mussing the boy's hair, an action that surprised him as much as Harry.  
  
"Um, yeah," Harry said softly, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.  
  
Harry took over. He told of the rescue of Sirius, the horrible song of Peeves the poltergeist, and how Peeves had made them too late to re-enter the hospital ward. Lupin grimaced as he heard of the desperate actions taken by the two youngsters the night before, although he outright laughed at the description of Professor McGonagall trying to turn Harry's broom in to a banana. He was also pleased to hear that Harry had been able to spot the Invisibility Cloak and bring it along in their flight from Hogwarts.  
  
"And so here we are," Harry finally finished.  
  
"And we have no idea what to do next," Hermione said with her voice trembling slightly.  
  
Remus sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He really had no idea what to tell them. He knew that Harry had plenty of money and assumed that he carried his Gringotts key with him. He also knew that the goblins were very trustworthy as far as secrecy was concerned and thought that the probability of getting the money from Harry's vault was probably pretty high. However, the real problem was knowing where to go where the Ministry of Magic couldn't find them. Unless ...  
  
He straightened at last, the beginnings of the dangerous plan already crystallized in his mind. It would take an incredible amount of luck to pull it off, but after hearing of Harry and Hermiones' adventures of the night before, and knowing of the things Harry had done at Hogwarts during his previous years, the idea might just work.  
  
"Harry, what I'm going to suggest to you is dangerous, but I think it is your best bet. Do you have your Gringotts key?"  
  
The boy nodded, looking uncertainly back at his professor.  
  
"Okay, this is going to be rough, but I think that you can manage it. In a few moments, we are going to Apparate in to London. Or rather, I am going to Apparate the two of you to London. It will have to be one at a time as I don't have the power to take you both with me at the same time."  
  
He stopped there, looking puzzled for a moment, then slapped himself in the forehead with his clenched fist.  
  
"Dammit," Lupin swore softly. "I don't have my wand. I need to fix it so that you can't be tracked."  
  
"What do you mean, Professor," Hermione asked, and Lupin was filled with amazement that even in these frightening circumstances, Hermione Granger was still as eager as ever to learn.  
  
"The Ministry keeps Tracking Charms on the wands of those students who are underage to monitor them so that they don't use magic at inappropriate times away from Hogwarts, during the summer, in other words. I need my wand so that I can take the Charms off your wands."  
  
"But Professor," Hermione asked, the beautiful lilt in her voice becoming more obvious as she went in to Practicality Mode. "Can't you use my wand to disable the Charm on Harry's? And then use his to disable mine? And being so close to Hogwarts, would the Ministry be able to track the wand usage here?"  
  
It was at times like these that the werewolf cursed his mental slowness after a night of transformations.  
  
"I can try. However, as I don't have my own wand, I'm not sure how effective my wand work will be. As Mr. Ollivander no doubt told you both, you can never get as good a result with another witch or wizard's wand as with your own. And yes, Hermione, you are right about the Ministry's inability to track the use of wands this close to Hogwarts. By the way," he added as an after thought, "I assume Wormtail took mine?"  
  
"Well, actually, I disarmed him," Harry admitted. "But I'm not sure where your wand went. You might recall there were a few things distracting me at the time."  
  
"Brat," Remus muttered under his breath, smiling just the same.  
  
He took Harry's wand first and, with only a slight bit of effort, managed to disarm the Tracking Charm on Hermione's wand. However, by the time Harry's wand was free of the Charm as well, a slight sweat was breaking out over the older man's body.  
  
"There you go," he said softly, conjuring up a couple of glasses of pumpkin juice and some pieces of toast with the wand he still held.  
  
Until then, Harry hadn't realized how hungry he was. His last meal had been supper the night before in the Great Hall, a time that seemed like a completely different life. Hermione, too, was tucking away several pieces of toast.  
  
"Sorry," Lupin said. "I'm too tired to conjure up anything more complicated right now. Well, now that we are slightly less hungry, let's decide what you are going to do."  
  
Harry and Hermione listened carefully as Remus outlined his plan. They took it calmly, so calmly in fact that the werewolf had to keep reminding himself that these were merely kids, young and scared kids no matter how brave the facade they constructed, and his admiration continued to grow as they simply nodded at his instructions, all the while casting incredulous looks at each other when they thought he wasn't looking.  
  
'Harry is more and more like James each day' Remus thought to himself fondly. 'Except James never had to deal with half of the things Harry has'  
  
When Remus had finished outlining his plan and Harry and Hermione had agreed, Remus finally made ready to leave.  
  
It took them nearly twenty minutes to descend from the tree. Hermione, it appeared, was no more at home in the trees than she was on a broom. Eventually, however, they all stood sweaty and slightly winded on the ground. Remus borrowed Harry's wand again and conjured them each another glass of pumpkin juice which they gratefully downed while getting their breath back.  
  
"I'm going to Apparate you now," Lupin finally said. "Hermione, you'll go first, and then I'll come back for Harry. We're going to end up in a little alley I know of about half a block from the Leaky Cauldron, and you can walk from there after I leave."  
  
He wasted no time in putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder, and with a CRACK, they were gone. Harry stood stock still, feeling utterly alone and forgotten, for what seemed like hours, but was in actuality only about two minutes, before with another CRACK, Lupin had returned.  
  
Harry decided as his feet slammed down on the pavement of a dark little street that Apparating wasn't so bad after all. It certainly was much better than using floo powder.  
  
The alley was just that. It was about wide enough for two or three people to walk comfortably side by side, but so much trash littered the ground that half of the walkway was clogged too much to use.  
  
"I didn't say this would be pretty," Lupin said as if reading his mind, wrinkling his nose as he spoke, his keen werewolf senses being assaulted by the various odors from the piles of garbage.  
  
"You two take care of yourselves," the werewolf said fondly as he made ready to return to the forest and walk back to Hogwarts. "I'll do my best to keep in touch, although it will be tough at first with the Ministry doing everything in their power to track you down."  
  
Noticing Hermione's shudder, he went on to add, "Don't worry too much, Hermione. I'm sure if the Ministry does find you two, the fact that Sirius Black put you two under the Imperius Curse and made you leave Hogwarts with him and go to London, where you were finally able to escape him will make you both heroes to the idiots in charge of the wizarding world."  
  
Even Hermione laughed at this.  
  
"The Imperius Curse," Harry asked in interest. He'd never heard of that one before. It sounded nasty.  
  
"It is considered to be unforgivable in the wizarding community," Lupin said softly. "It forces the person who it is cast on to do whatever they are told to do by the person casting the curse. It takes a very strong will to be able to break free from it. Anyone caught using the curse is automatically given a one-way ticket to Azkaban."  
  
Harry shuddered, deciding he'd just as well avoid the Imperius Curse, thank you very much.  
  
"Now, I really must leave," Lupin said regretfully. "It will get suspicious if I am not back shortly. As it is, I have stayed too long already. I will contact you as soon as I can."  
  
He stayed then only long enough to give each of the two a tight hug and whisper a final word of encouragement to each of them. Then, he moved away from them, preparing to Apparate back to the forest. However, he was doomed to suffer an embarrassment before he departed. He had not been watching his footing, and the result of his carelessness was that he landed in an undignified heap on a pile of old soggy newspapers. To add insult to injury, he was forced to listen and glare impotently as Harry and Hermione clutched at each other, both laughing merrily at his predicament.  
  
After standing up and brushing himself off, all the while listening to the sniggering coming from the two kids, he gave them an evil glare and waved his hand, levitating some of the disgusting newspapers and hurling them at the two. They shrieked and scattered, barely missing the missiles. Then, before they could retaliate, Lupin grinned at them, gave them a final wave, and Disapparated.  
  
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, laughter fading quickly, then their eyes moved to the spot where only a moment before, their favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had stood. However, except for the obviously disturbed pile of garbage, he might never have been there at all.  
  
They then turned to look at each other again. Nodding at about the same time and with no words being spoken, they both agreed that it was time for them to move on as well.  
  
And so, they did.  
  
TBC 


	5. Of Grease, Goblins and Letters

Harry potter and the mischief of peeves

Chapter five

A.N. Okay, despite my better judgment, I am going to try typing this chapter with MS Word. I have never been a big fan of this product, but as I need to get used to this for work, I guess typing something like a chapter for a story will do just fine.

It was just as Remus had feared.

No sooner did he stroll from the Forbidden Forest than he was assaulted, much to his annoyance but no great surprise, by the unpleasant sneering visage of Severus Snape.

"Well, well, Lupin finally decides to make an appearance," Snape spat in his oily voice as soon as he saw the other man.

"Ahh, Severus, as pleasant as ever, I see," Lupin retorted, forcing himself to be nonchalant. It was the last thing he wanted to do; he had not forgotten how the other man's hatred of Sirius had blinded him to all else the night before. Pettigrew might have still been captured if Snape had listened long enough to understand what was going on.

The man's sneering reply brought the werewolf back to his senses. "A lot has happened since you ran off in to the forest, Lupin."

"What is it now, Severus? I had a rough night last night without the Wolfsbane Potion and find that I need a nap."

If anything, the smirk on Snape's sallow face widened.

"Oh no, werewolf! You're going to tell me where Potter and Granger have gotten off to. Then, you are going to tell me exactly where Sirius Black is hiding. There is an Order of Merlin waiting for me, and no orfan, Mudblood, or filthy mutt"

The next moment, Snape found himself lifted off the ground, one of the werewolf's hands wrapped securely around his throat. Lupin brought him close, letting go of his neck but retaining a grip on the front of his robes. He hauled the man until they were less than a fingers-width apart before speaking in a voice that was hardly recognizable as belonging to the normally even-tempered man.

"Listen here, Syphilis, and listen well I don't know where Sirius Black is right now. The last thing I remember is transforming in to a wolf while marching back from the Shrieking Shack up to the school. As for Harry and Hermione, I have no idea where they are if they are not in school."

His grip on the Potions master tightened further, if that was possible, before he continued. "If I ever hear you bad mouthing Harry, Sirius, Hermione, or any of their friends for no reason ever again, you'll wish Voldemort had killed you during his rise to power. Now, since I know I can't find out what happened from you, I think I'll go and ask Albus what is going on."

With that said, he pushed Snape violently away, hard enough in fact to send him flying back about ten feet before coming to rest in an undignified heap of robes and limbs as he attempted to straighten himself. Remus left him there, shooting daggers of hate with his eyes, and made his way quickly towards the headmaster's office. Dumbledore, he knew, would have to be told the whole story. He only hoped that the man would believe him. He did, however, have one consoling thought to take with him as he went. The name Snivellus Snape had finally been done one better. Yes, the werewolf thought wryly to himself as he entered through the double doors, the name Syphilis Snape is certainly more appropriate. Remus had been in the Muggle world before, and had heard of this Muggle sexually transmitted disease. While the symptoms were definitely far different, he certainly thought the idea of a transmitted illness described the Potions master's temper exactly.

Ronald Weasley was not happy. In fact, you might go as far as to say he was quite annoyed. He'd woken up several hours earlier in the hospital wing with no idea of how he'd gotten there or why. He had been slightly disappointed to see that Harry and Hermione were not there waiting for him to wake up. However, his disappointment was replaced by awe and worry when he realized that the only person waiting for him to wake up was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Even that conversation had not gone well. Dumbledore had simply inquired in to his well-being, asked him to recount his version of events from the night before, and then left, promising to come back later to check on him. Madam Pomfrey had not been much help either. When he asked to see Harry and Hermione, she had simply frowned at him, told him to rest, and walked back to her office without another word.

His frustration had only grown since then. He had continued to inquire after his friends every time that the nurse had come by to check on him. Every time, he would receive the same disapproving frown before she would walk away to resume her duties elsewhere. Finally, after his fourth barrage of questions, she had finally replied with a curt "you're free to go, Mr. Weasley", before again heading away from him.

Now, here he was making his way up from the hospital wing, worry growing in the pit of his stomach wondering where Harry and Hermione were. The last thing he remembered was seeing them frozen with shock as Lupin had transformed. He remembered seeing Harry breaking out of his temporary stupor when Pettigrew had gone for Lupin's fallen wand. And that was it until he had woken this morning.

Eventually, he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and gave her the password. Even before he had fully emerged in to the Gryffindor common room, his eyes had already began to search for the two heads, one of messy jet black hair and the other of bushy brown hair, that belonged to his companions. His uneasiness and irritation only grew as he failed to spot them among the rest of the milling students. However, he had hardly emerged fully in to the common room when he was seized by each arm.

"Ickle Ronniekins, where have you been mate?" Fred asked.

"Don't you know how worried we've been dear brother?" George wanted to know.

"Now, now, leave him alone, Forge. He just wants to see his friends."

"Then I guess, Gred, it is our solemn duty to inform our dear brother that his friends are not here."

"Jumped ship."

"Bailed out."

"Flew the coop."

"Split!"

"ske-daddled!"

"Will the two of you just tell me what in the bloody hell you're talking about," Ron roared, his annoyance finally reaching a breaking point.

"Well, little brother," George finally relented. "it seems that Harry and Hermione fled from the school last night."

Even after the stressful events of the night before, the twins could not help but be amused by the expression of shock on the face of their younger brother.

Over the next ten minutes, the two of them told what they knew and had seen, being very careful to go in to painstakingly detailed descriptions regarding the incident with Professor McGonagall and her attempts to transfigure the Firebolt. Even Ron broke out of his stupor long enough to laugh at how well the twins acted out the event.

However, at the end of the narrative, he was utterly flustered and puzzled. He had no idea what to say or do. It was obvious that Dumbledore would not tell him any information even if he had any. Professor Lupin had been in the forest last night running around on all fours so Ron doubted he would know anything else either. The rest of the teaching staff would follow Dumbledore.

And then, Ron had what was probably his most brilliant idea to date. Fred and George exchanged puzzled looks as their brother suddenly turned around and sprinted up the stairs to the dorms, taking them two at a time.

"Mental that one," Fred remarked casually.

"Completely flipped," George agreed.

Ron paid them no mind. He sprinted in to his room, pausing only to notice that Harry's trunk was missing, and snatched parchment and quill from his own trunk.

His flight down the stairs was just as hasty. Noticing the twins still giving him puzzled looks, he stopped long enough to say "Hedwig" before tearing out of the room on his mission to the owlery. If any one could find Harry in this craziness it would be Hedwig. After all, sharing a bond with the Boy Who Lived would make it an easy task.

Brilliant as the idea was, it was doomed to failure. When Ron reached the owlery, clutching the stitch that had developed in his side, one glance around was all it took to notice the absence of the snowy owl.

Ron's shoulders slumped.

The busiest time of the year for Gringotts Wizarding Bank was almost without exception that time period just before the return of students to Hogwarts each September. The flow would again pick up as the holidays neared, with its second largest peak hitting the week before Christmas. However, in early June, only a light trickle of customers could be found entering and exiting the bank, keeping the stream of business fairly slow yet steady. It was on a warm day in the month of June, 1994, that two cloaked and hooded figures strode casually through the grand sets of double doors that led in to the formidable white building in Diagon Alley. They were non-descript, just slightly over five feet in height, wearing perfectly normal wizarding robes. However, these two individuals were among the top five most sought after individuals in the whole wizarding community of Great Britain, if not the world.

Luck was apparently on their side. Several goblin tellers were lounging behind the counter, either scribbling madly on some senseless rows and columns of numbers, or simply sitting looking bored waiting for customers to approach. This, the two strangers did.

"I would like to make a withdrawal from my vault, please," said one with a somewhat squeaky male voice.

"Key please," snapped one of the bored-looking creatures. The goblin took the key, examined it for a moment as if checking its authenticity, then snapped his head back up and nodded.

"This way, Mr. P–", The goblin was cut off by a shake of the head from one of the figures.

Vaulting up from behind the counter, the goblin swung itself down to the floor now on the customers' side and, with a slight gesture to follow, walked rapidly through the doors to where the narrow train tracks led deep in to the catacombs that crisscrossed for miles beneath London.

Once he had secured a cart, the two figures joined him inside and the ride began. One of the figures was whimpering and clutching on the other with a death grip. The sight of the pair made the goblin guide smirk. He always took some perverse pleasure in watching people nearly lose their lunch while riding the carts, especially after being informed that the contraptions went only one speed.

Eventually, the wild ride came to a halt and they all dismounted. The two figures looked at each other, seemed to come to some sort of agreement, and finally removed their hoods.

"Enjoy the ride, Hermione?" Harry Potter asked smirking at the girl who still maintained her iron grip on his arm.

He was rewarded when she stuck her tongue out at him before releasing said arm with a huff. They might have continued to banter back and forth far below the streets of London, but a polite, if not slightly impatient, cough came from their guide.

"Oh right," Harry said, looking away from Hermione and returning his gaze to the goblin. "Sorry, I think we got carried away. Lead on, Griphook."

The goblin had been about to insert the key in to the door of Harry's vault. However, at hearing his name fall so casually from the lips of the young man in front of him, he jerked back so rapidly that he overbalanced, waving his arms madly, and would have pitched backwards on to the tracks if Harry's Seeker reflexes hadn't kicked in. As it was, he was able to grab the goblin by the arm and haul him back upright. Blinking slightly, the goblin stared at him for a moment, then said in a voice far friendlier than Harry had ever heard from any goblin, "Sorry about that, Mr. Potter. You rather startled me."

"Why is that," Hermione wanted to know.

"Miss Granger," the goblin said (he ignored the start that both teens gave upon his recognition of Harry's companion). "I have worked at this facility for over sixty years. In all that time, no one has ever recognized me by sight."

Now it was Harry and Hermione's' turn to be surprised. Griphook, however, turned away from them and unlocked the door and, with a slight flourish and a deep bow, he ushered the pair inside.

Hermione gasped at the sight before her. She had never ventured down on the carts before. When she came to the bank in Diagon Alley, her parents had always exchanged Muggle money for her at the counter set up for that purpose by the goblins. It was, therefore, no surprise that she was shocked by the piles of gold, silver and bronze that were stacked nearly floor to ceiling in the vault. Obviously, Harry was no stranger to this sight. He had already entered the vault, stooped and seized several handfuls of the gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts, and scooped them in to his money bag.

Harry turned and started to exit the vault when he noticed something that he had never seen before. Amidst the piles of coins, something white stood out. Moving in to the corner and stepping over the coins, he knelt down again and retrieved a crisp white envelope from under a mound of Sickles. Curiosity got the better of him and he immediately tore in to the package, pulling out a letter slightly yellowing with age.

"Griphook, can you arrange a little light in here?" Harry called back to the goblin, squinting horribly and still unable to make out the contents of the letter. The goblin snapped his fingers and a light suddenly came on overhead, making both Harry and Hermione yelp and throw their hands over their eyes momentarily. Griphook just smirked again.

"Thanks," Harry told him, and the sarcasm that was in that one word nearly made Hermione giggle.

Harry bent over the letter again.

Dear Harry:

If you are reading this letter, then the worst has come to pass and your mother and I are dead. This is something that we actually expect might happen, yet we are taking every precaution to hopefully prove ourselves wrong.

Hopefully, if you are reading this, then you are just getting ready to start Hogwarts and you and Sirius are visiting the trust vault that your mother and I have set up for you. There is enough money in here that should get you through school, leaving you with plenty of extra to spend on nice things for yourself or for some lady friend(s). "Okay, Lils, I know he's only eleven. I'll stop now". (massaging sore spot on head).

Harry, by now, Sirius should have told you the main reason that your mother and I are dead. He does not know all of the details, but he does know enough that he should at least be able to give you the basis. Basically, Harry, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, came to us about two weeks ago and told us that a prophecy had been made regarding the one who would be able to defeat Lord Voldemort. We are, as of this time, not even certain that the prophecy applies to you. It could apply to one other boy born one day earlier than you, thus giving him a birthday of July 30. However, at this time, we are unsure of which of you the prophecy refers to.

Basically, son, this prophecy refers to you or to the other boy, a fellow named Neville Longbottom. It states that one of the two of you will be born with the power to utterly destroy the Dark Lord. By now, you should be old enough to understand this prophecy and, with Padfoot's help, to begin making the necessary arrangements to begin extra training in order that, in the case the prophecy refers to you, there will be a greater measure of hope of defeating Voldemort. No doubt, Harry, you will want to hear the full text of this prophecy. I do not dare to write it down in its entirety in the event that this letter somehow finds its way in to the wrong hands. To hear the entire prophecy, ask Professor Dumbledore. He will tell you. In the event that the unthinkable has happened and Dumbledore has died, you can also hear this prophecy in its entirety by visiting the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic.

Hopefully, all of this will prove unnecessary and your mother and I will get a chance to tell you all of this in person. However, I have a bad feeling that such will not be our fate. Know this, however, son. If we did not survive to watch you grow up in to the man that we know that you are bound to be, we will still always be with you in your heart, and you will see us in you when you have the most need to.

We love you, little Pronglet.

Lily and James Potter

P.S.: Upon your receipt of this letter, you hereby inherit the rest of the Potter vaults. If you are old enough to understand the contents of this letter, then you are sure old enough to show some maturity with the items that you will find there. Besides great jewels of value to our family, you will also find the title deeds to all of the properties which, by default, are now yours. Make that lazy mutt show them to you. Also, I expect that the restriction on underage magic which annoys every witch and wizard, other than the idiots in the Ministry, will pose no problem to you at Potter Manor.

J. and L.

TBC


End file.
